Night shift whats it like

Is it for the entire year?
It depends on who you're working with as well. Night shifts with good people are a total laugh, especially as (depending on what job you're in) they tend to be a lot quieter. I wouldn't want to do a night shift alone though.
Never done more than 3 nights in a row either, but sleep adjustment wasn't a problem for me. It should get easier the longer you do it for.
 
Mikeyboy said:
For those of you saying they hate it, makes you ill/tired etc, do you do day/night shifts or permanent nights?
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My shifts went Nights, lates, Earlies, Days.

To be honest I had no issue with illness or digestion problems. Personally I would love to go back to Nights as having 4 days off was great between shifts and what was better was holiday take 4 days off you have 12 days of freedom, 8 days 20 days off.

To be honest my advise is if you have to option to do them on a trail basis then go for it. Everyone is different you may love them you may hate them.

If you have issues staying awake late or really set in your routine i would avoid them.
 
I worked nights over summer in 2008. In hindsight I would say it wasn't fun, but the money was very good.
Some people will say they cannot cope with nights, but that is being a pansy.

Cons
Your social life goes down the toilet.
You need to have considerate family members.
When the children next door are having a mid-afternoon party or the man is mowing the lawn with a petrol mower, you want to murder someone.
Whether I worked 3 nights a week or 6 nights a week, I always stayed in 'night mode', even though the mother insisted I should change back for the days I have off. Not worth changing your sleeping pattern each time you have a day off imo.
You will feel that your friends/family are becoming more distant as you cannot spend as much time with them.

Pros
You spend a lot less money on going out with friends.
I found I didn't eat as much (and as a result of this and less drinking, you lose weight).
More money - Let's face it, this is why anyone works nights (aside from those who have children and one of the couple works days, the other nights).

So, to summarise, nights is absolutely ****, but you get more £££.
I would go on nights properly too, none of this 2 weeks days 2 weeks nights crap, as that way you are tired with only half the night money!
 
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Been doing them for 24 years.

At the beginning did a 7 x 8 hour night shift 2 days off, 7 x 8 hour afternoon shift 2 days off, 7 x 8 hour early shift 3 days off pattern.

We now work 3 earlies, 2 off, 4 nights, 3 off, 3 lates, 2 off, 4 earlies, 2 off, 3 nights, 3 off, 4 lates, 2 off pattern (the nights are 9 hours, all the others are combinations of 8, 9 and 10 hours).

Nights can be killers if you do not look after yourself. Oddly even though I have been doing those shifts for so long, I'm rarely ill.

When working nights, on the first one, I usually sleep until 10am. Get up, have breakfast, light lunch and then a main meal around 6pm. Short hour nap and then into work for 10pm until 7am. Very light snack such as sandwiches, fruit etc around 1am. Drink plenty of water. The killer time is 4.30am for me. I usually park up and go on foot patrol for about 20 mins or so to get some fresh air.

When I get home I usually have a glass of milk and then sleep until around 2pm - then I get up and have breakfast - main meal at 6pm, into work for 10pm and then sandwiches, fruit etc, around 1am again - I repeat this until I've finished nights.

Personally I can operate on 6 to 7 hours sleep. Eat healthy foods - avoid horrible spicy food during the early hours and treat your working day (on nights) as if you were working a day shift - breakfast, lunch, dinner.

As others have said social life goes down the pan when on nights, but hey if you're working a shift pattern like I do, I get to be off in the week when everyone else is working - great for shopping or sightseeing :)
 
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It depends where you're working. I did a summer of nightshifts after my first year of uni at a supermarket. ****ing. Horrible. The only people that worked there were social retards/polish/weird. Its depressing.
 
I like working nights personally.

I do 11pm while 7am, Sleep from 8am until 2pm. And then spend the afternoon doing whatever the hell i want before it's time for work at 11pm.
 
Spent the past month/two working nights. I've found it very manageable, though truth be told I know that I'm only doing it for a bit of time before university.
 
Ewaf said:
It depends where you're working. I did a summer of nightshifts after my first year of uni at a supermarket. ****ing. Horrible. The only people that worked there were social retards/polish/weird. Its depressing.
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Thats why it depends on the industry as well.
 
Andy90 said:
We now work 3 earlies, 2 off, 4 nights, 3 off, 3 lates, 2 off, 4 earlies, 2 off, 3 nights, 3 off, 4 lates, 2 off pattern (the nights are 9 hours, all the others are combinations of 8, 9 and 10 hours).
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WTF thats a job in itself remembering when the heck you are working.
 
Great advice on here cheers. Im still not sure even though theres a chance of illness and death so still thinking about it.
Its only nights not rota shift work so ill be just doing nights if i wish. 9 hour shifts i think aswell.
I do look after myself as i go gym (its my church) and eat healthy.
Quiet neighbourhood and considerete grandparents.
Want to spend less anyway so i can save up for a motorbike trip to america on route 66:cool: oh and a deposit on house.
 
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I work 10pm till 6:30am the only bummer is I start Sunday night and finish fri morning. I find the night goes really fast. There are no windows in the production areas so once you are in work it could be night or day outside and you wouldn't know. I also get. 20% extra for working nights.

I once worked 6-2, 2-10, 10-6 weekly rotating shifts and i'd finish the week of nights on sat morning and be starting early shift on the following Monday. Did it for 3 months then quit because I was really messed up.
 
Nights are great if you can sleep during the day

Rubbish if you can't

With good blackout curtains and earplugs or a quiet house your body won't really know it's day , I finish at 6 , am asleep by 7 and then wake up early afternoon to have the whole afternoon/evening to myself

It does mean I can't have a drink on an evening but it doesn't stop me socialising , just don't drink till the weekend

I'd probably rather do a 9-5 but I much prefer nights over earlies ( have to go to bed early to get up early then are knackered on the afternoon when you could be doing things) or lates ( work the best part of the day IMO )

As others have said nights are usually more laid back than other shifts , my job would be twice as stressful on the early or late shift where big bosses are always hanging about. We pretty much just get left to get on with things
 
It does also depend on your commitments, if you don't really have any (no partner/kids, etc), then go for it, the extra money can be put away for the future. And if you can't do it, you could always try going back to the days.
 
whitecrook said:
WTF thats a job in itself remembering when the heck you are working.
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Tell me about it, luckily we have a really good shift application, give it a date and it will print out or display what you are working. I have to consult my diary when people ask me what I'm on.
 
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